Detail of a Piece by Satch

As detailed in my essay about my "retirement" from photography I am now pursuing photography from whatever direction personally interests me.  This photograph that I am sharing is the beginning.

This is a detail of a piece that was created by Satch and is currently exhibited at Craig Smith Gallery in Union Pier Michigan.

New Exhibit in April

"Retiring" from Photography, sort of...

Here is a link to an essay regarding my retirement from photography.  Any comments that you may have about it can be sent to ronkernphoto@gmail.com.  Thanks!

Photographs That Changed Me #3

Paul Strand, St. Francis and Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico

This is part 3 of a series of posts about a selection of photographs that influenced my perspective of photography, or simply inspired me.

This photograph summarizes much of what is great about Paul Strand's work in New Mexico.  After viewing Strand's negatives of New Mexico Ansel Adams was moved to dedicate himself to photography as a means of artistic self-expression.

Strand's time in New Mexico was turbulent.  His relationship with Stieglitz and his wife Rebecca was disintegrating.  Strand has trusted Stieglitz.  That trust was blown apart after he found that he had been manipulated and Stieglitz was using Rebecca not only against him but even against O'Keeffe.

Strand's New Mexico work is a result of hard work and inspiration.  He had makeshift darkrooms and worked in rather crude circumstances.  While staying at Mabel Dodge's home on the edge of Taos, from the homes lookout, he would watch clouds and storms develop and then time how long it would take to get to various sites where he wanted to photograph.  The above photograph is obviously a result of that exercise.

Strand's work has always been an inspiration.  Many of our trips to New Mexico included photographing at various sites where Strand made pictures.  This was an incredible and inspirational learning experience that shaped my seeing and appreciation of the use of light in the camera to make photographs.  I also began to look past the obvious documentary type of photograph to make more expressive work.

Below is a photograph, Gateway to Truchas, New Mexico, that I made as a result of Strand's inspiration.  (Links to other posts in this series:  #1 and #2.)

Two New Polaroid Photographs of Carmel's Historic Grain Elevator

"Instant Love" at Mad Art Gallery, Dublin, Ireland and Prism Magazine

(click the poster to enlarge)

As I've posted here in the recent past I have three photographs in an international Polaroid exhibition, "Impossible Love," curated by Karol Liver.

Mad Art Gallery in Dublin, Ireland is hosting this exhibition with support from the Impossible Project.

Because of the success of the exhibition's opening and the interest that it has created, it was immediately extended one week!  The photographs and the live video feed showed that there was a big and enthusiastic crowd at the opening.  (I have just found out that the exhibition has been extended yet again to February 2, 2012!)

Karol Liver also is the editor of the incredible online magazine of fine art photography, Prism.  He has created a Special Edition of Prism in coordination with "Impossible Love" exhibition.

This beautifully designed magazine gathers together all of the exhibited photographers' (plus three additional) thoughts and work into one place.  The resulting presentation is impressive.

The quality of the photography shines through.  The fact that photographers from many different countries are included results in a collection that is multidimensional, original and fresh.

I feel very fortunate to be included in this exhibition along with all of these incredible photographers.  Without extra effort from Karol Liver rescuing my photographs from Customs I would not have had this opportunity to have my work on the wall at Mad Art Gallery.  Big and Huge thanks to him.

Please take the time to view the Special Edition of Prism and experience the excellent work from photographers all over the world that utilize various Polaroid processes to create their art.

I strongly suggest that you view the work in full screen mode where you can easily page through the work.

Here's a direct link to the "Impossible Love" Special Edition of Prism Magazine.  (Please realize that there is nudity in some of the artist's work.)

Changes

For some time now I've alluded to changes that were forthcoming.  So, today I thought I would post the bottom line. 

In the coming days I will write an essay about this decision and Julie and I are considering making a video interview about this and a few other things.

So here is the bottom line:  I am "retiring" from photography and the photography community.  This does not mean that I will no longer be making photographs; I will continue to photograph but in a much more limited and private way.

The last few weeks have been a hoot.  I've been going out with a little bit of a bang thanks to the 2 Photographers Works In Progress Exhibit at Midland Arts and Antiques Market, Mad Art Gallery in Dublin showing some of my new Polaroid work and the effort to save Carmel's grain elevator.

So that's it!

Exhibition in Dublin, Ireland

Here's the press release:

Go to this link to download a pdf of the press release.

Carmel Photographerʼs New Work Featured in Dublin, Ireland Exhibition

Ron Kern of Carmel, Indiana is exhibiting three photographs in an international exhibition of Polaroid photography, “Instant Love,” at Mad Art Gallery in Dublin, Ireland.

The exhibition, which opens on January 14, is also complemented by a special edition of Prism Magazine, a bi-monthly on-line fine art photography magazine.

The show features over 20 artists from all over the world (Ireland, Australia, USA, Italy, Poland, UK, Czech Rep., Germany) using various instant photography methods. The show is also officially supported by The Impossible Project – the number one manufacturer of brand new instant film for Vintage Polaroid cameras. The show is curated and organized by prism Magazine editor – Karol Liver.

Currently Ron is also exhibiting 54 photographs at Midland Arts and Antiques Market in downtown Indianapolis as a part of the 2 Photographer Works In Progress project. This exhibit is a part of the Indianapolis Downtown Artists and Dealers Association Super Bowl TURF initiative and will be up through February 7, 2012. The three photographs that are in the Dublin exhibition are also at Midland Arts and Antiques Market.

Below is screen resolution copy of “Grain Elevator 1, Noblesville and Ron Kernʼs thoughts about his Polaroid photography.

For print resolution files and additional information please contact Ron at ronkernphoto@gmail.com or at 317.507.7888.

ronkernphotographer.com

When photographing I feel and sense the spirit of what I am seeing. The "design" of the subject or scene becomes an integral part of the final composition. I examine and present nature's and/or man's mark, the combination of which is often society's response to my subject. The resulting photograph shows the condition and existence of the subject within a context, literal or metaphorical.

For my Polaroid work I use a vintage Polaroid 420 camera. I make exposures onto Fuji instant color film. I recover a negative from the portion of the film that is typically thrown away. It is digitally scanned, converted to a monochrome image in Adobe Photoshop and printed with an archival inkjet printer.

Ron Kern January, 2012

The Imminent Demolition of the Carmel Grain Elevator

 

Contrail, Power Line and AbandonedGrain Elevator, Carmel, IN

(Click to enlarge photographs.)

"Thus we have the American grain elevators and factories, the magnificent FIRST-FRUITS of the new age." - Le Corbusier, Towards a New Architecture, 1927.

A photograph of Carmel's landmark historical grain elevator structure is one of the two anchor images of my project, Truth From Perceptions.  Currently it is in the 2 Photographers Works In Progress Exhibition at Midland Arts and Antiques Market in downtown Indianapolis.

I had also written about the area in a post from this blog dated August 9, 2011.  These photographs were included in that post:

This is a portion of what I wrote about this area:  It was a gorgeous winter day and it was like the sky was playing its own concerto.  The interaction of the natural clouds with the contrails was quite something.  The area where these photographs were made is one that stills reveals Carmel's history as a small town whose livelihood likely revolved around this grain elevator adjacent to the railroad tracks - maybe that is why I'm drawn here so often.

Imagine my surprise when I read on Twitter this past Saturday that it is a done deal that the City of Carmel is going to demolish the grain elevator.  Apparently, technically, it is the Carmel Redevelopment Commission (CRC) that is going to do the deed. According to City documents the CRC requested the Board of Public Works, which consists of the Mayor and two appointees, to write a resolution to demolish the structure.  Apparently that three person Board of Public Works has the power to act on the behalf of the CRC and indeed they did.

From what I've been told from a very reliable source the CRC can do whatever it wants to in this area by virtue of zoning law.  The CRC is an appointed government entity that does not answer to Carmel's City Council and therefore the citizens of Carmel.  And today I found out that they actually are able to encumber the City of Carmel with debt without getting approval from the City Council, ie the Citizens of Carmel.  That was a shocker.

Apparently the Mayor and the CRC have a plan to build an additional water tower straddling the Monon Trail that has fountains or some such thing and rather than consider integrating the grain elevator into the plan they are going to demolish it, again, with no public input.  There are instances where these structures have been reused in various ways.  Being a part of the Arts and Design District I would hope that rather than tear down one of the last historical structures connecting Carmel to its past that the CRC would come up with a more creative solution.  Maybe even ask the public and artists and architects for some ideas.  But recent history shows that Carmel's government likes shiny new things.  Problem is that, not much later, those shiny new things become dull older things that seemed like a good idea at the time.

It was extremely disappointing to see in an Indianapolis Star article Carmel Clay Historical Society's (CCHS) board member Fred Swift easily dismiss this structure as having no historical significance.  Yet in the next breath he makes the case for the structure when he acknowledges that the structure has been a part of Carmel's landscape for ninety years and was one of Carmel's largest employers before Carmel was a "big suburb." Update 2-25-2012 - From an IBJ article it is now known that the CCHS received a $31,000 grant from the 4CDC which is an organization that works as a shadow government entity that disperses Carmel public money with no public input nor oversight.  So it is no surprise that the CCHS has no interest in preserving the grain elevator.

Apparently now that Carmel is a suburb we no longer have any use for our agricultural past.  I expect more than this from an organization that is supposed to be protecting our history outside of local politics.

I find it ironic that the CCHS is housed in, what I'm certain Mr. Swift considers historically significant structures, railroad depot buildings that were repurposed to suit CCHS' needs and are in the shadow of the grain elevator.

Even more ironic is this news story from Current in Carmel; the first two paragraphs are here:

The City Council Monday night approved an ordinance authorizing historic preservation and the creation of a historic preservation commission. 

The ordinance, which passed with a 6-1 vote, was proposed to “provide a means to promote the cultural, economic, and general welfare of the public through the preservation and protection of structures and areas of historic and cultural interest within the City” and to “maintain established neighborhoods in danger of having their distinctiveness destroyed,” among other stated purposes.

Zack Myers of Fox 59 news interviewed me for their story on the demolition of the grain elevator.

I encourage you to read an article about all of this written by Jonathon Haag that can be found on his blog, Innovate Carmel.

Here is a recent letter to the editor of the Indianapolis Star by Jane Oakes:

Maybe we can progress without
tearing down grain elevator

6:41 PM, Jan. 05, 2012

I hadn’t thought about the Carmel Grain Elevator in years, but all of a sudden the story on Wednesday, Jan. 4 (“Eyesore or landmark, elevator’s coming down”) brought back a virtual flood of memories. When I moved to Carmel as a child, there were 771 people living there, as attested by a sign at the south edge of town.

At the Carmel school, all in one brick building at the east end of Main Street, I was in the same class with both Fosters and Kendalls, the families that owned the grain elevator. The Monon Railroad was a large part of the community from the proximity to the grain company to the hook by the large door that snagged mailbags each day. Putting a penny on the tracks was an exciting pastime; I’ll bet if I looked carefully enough I might still have a very thin, flat, smashed penny. Progress does not always mean removing the past. Sometimes it means honoring it through visible memories.

Jane S. Oaks

Indianapolis

A fellow grad from Carmel High 1976 had this to say about the grain elevator:

The Carmel Grain Elevator should be preserved as a historical landmark... Even as the town moves forward, and the landscape through the years has changed, it should always leave reminders of what once was.

Mike Sapp

Also there is a discussion on Carmel City Councilor's Rick Sharp's Facebook page.

Carmel Grain Elevator

Carmel Grain Elevator, 2009 (Made with a Holga)

2 Photographers Works In Progress Exhibit Is Open

Artists' Reception this coming First Friday, January 6, 2011 at Midland Arts and Antiques Market.  For more information go to the 2 Photographers Works In Progress Website.

Photograph by Satch

Moving Forward

Ron with his Polaroid, Photograph by Satch, 11/23/2011

As I begin to move forward with a new direction for my photography, I have been attempting to clarify my thinking about my work.

When I am photographing I feel and sense the spirit of what I am seeing.  The "design" of the subject or scene (natural or manmade, intentional or incidental) becomes an integral of the final composition.  I examine and present nature's and/or man's mark, the combination of which is often society's response to my subject.  The resulting photograph shows the condition and existence of the subject within a context, literal or metaphorical.  That being said, trying to recreate my feelings and perception through a lens and onto film via this machine, the Polaroid camera, is incredibly difficult and at times more than frustrating.

I photograph within the environment that I know or find myself in - the world in which I live.  I do not find it necessary to travel to a specific locale to make photographs that present something exotic, unfamiliar or detached from my day to day existence.  Rather I endeavor to delve into my surroundings within the scope of where I live my life.

Noblesville Grain Elevator 1

More New Work, Videos and Thoughts

There is plenty of new work to see on the 2 Photographers Works in Progress blog.  And we have our own domain - http://2PhotographersWorksInProgress.net.  Please check out the new posts.  Thanks!

Kyle Ragsdale's Costumerie and First Friday

Sunset, Mass Ave

(Please note:  Click on the photographs to enlarge.)

This past First Friday Satch and I headed out early to The Harrison Center for the Arts! to view Kyle Ragsdale's new work before the crowds showed up.  We had an excellent evening up and down Mass Ave taking in several exhibits.

We really enjoyed Kyle's new paintings.  Revisiting themes from twenty years ago this new work is a departure from his recent work.

The exhibit is consistently strong.  The palette used for each painting seems perfect.  I'm hardly an art critic, but I know when art moves me and many of these new paintings did indeed do that.

The scale of the paintings varied.  The large works were impressive.  I will point out two paintings that I really like.

The first is a young girl from Kyle's Fountain Square neighborhood.  She is in a red cape that reminds me of Little Red Riding Hood, or is she a Superhero?  Her pose is exquisite and Kyle catches her in a beautiful light.

The second painting is a large piece that features a Koshare, or a Pueblo Clown in the upper right corner.  I wonder if this is a nod to Kyle's past in New Mexico.  In the painting, the Koshare is the only figure that is looking directly at the viewer.  I suppose the armor-clad Knight could also be looking directly at the viewer, but we will never know

Photographs of these pieces, along with other views of the exhibition are directly below this writing.  If you missed opening on First Friday, I heartily recommend that you make the effort to get to The Harrison Center of the Arts! to take in Costumerie - New Work by Kyle Ragsdale.

 

Kyle Ragsdale

Also at The Harrison Center for the Arts! is Continuous, A Gallery Show - Illustrations by Herron School of Art + Design students.  I especially liked "Continuity" by LorieLee Andrews.

Satch at "Continuous"

"Continuity," LorieLee Andrews

At the Anthenaeum, the A Cause for Elegance fundraiser for twenty local non-profit causes drew an impressive crowd.  The art was refreshing and exciting.  The detail found in the art showed that the artists are very dedicated to their vision.  Dan Grossman wrote a feature article about Outside The Box and the incredible work that this organization does on a daily basis and about what A Cause for Elegance is all about.  I invite you to visit this link and read Dan's article.

A Cause for Elegance (Dan and Satch in discussion)

Formations 2011, Kewanna, Indiana

Diane Tesler's Studio/Gallery

On this past gorgeous Saturday (October 22, 2011) Satch and I made it to Kewanna to catch "Formations 2011," the annual exhibition that artist Diane Tesler presents in her studio/gallery.

Diane on the Right

We had a nice visit with Diane and Wade Bussert and enjoyed seeing all of the art work.

Wade Bussert with his Paintings and Satch

We also photographed and made a short video at that late artist James Spencer Russell's house.

Musicians Surrounded by Art

Promo Display for the 2014 Russell Exhibit
at the Indiana State Museum

The Late James Russell's House

The Genesis of the Exhibition

Style, Elegance and Wit:
The Artwork of James Spencer Russell

January 26, 2014 - July 14, 2014
Indiana State Museum

James Spencer Russell

This is a post about how the Indiana State Museum’s James Russell retrospective came to fruition.

The artist James Spencer Russell of Kewanna, Indiana passed away in November of 2000 leaving over 2,500 pieces of his art in his home.  The work was incredibly varied and was made over the course of his life.

After inventorying the work the estate called upon Dennis Jackson to hold a series of auctions to sell the work.  At the auctions everyone that I spoke with about Russell’s work agreed that it was very, very good.  The art was sold to several collectors and to some dealers.  Among those collectors were Steve Conant and Tom Kuebler, both of Indianapolis.

Some time after the auctions had concluded I received word that the idea of holding a retrospective exhibition was in the works.  Satch and I were really happy to hear of this.  We were excited that arguably one of Indiana’s greatest contemporary artists, James Spencer Russell, who was virtually unknown in his home state, would get recognized and the public would have a chance to experience his art.

Over the past three years, out of his personal collection, Steve Conant has made donations  to the Indiana State Museum of many works by Russell including drawings, small sculptures, paintings and assemblages.  Steve hoped that by having this work in the museum’s collection the Board of Directors would see the quality of the work and would eventually be more likely to consider the exhibition as a worthwhile undertaking.

Thanks to Steve Conant’s slow but steady urging of Rachel Perry, Fine Arts Curator for the Indiana State Museum, to approach the museum’s committees charged with exploring the feasibility of the exhibition, the idea for “Style Elegance and Wit” came to fruition.

Steve then discussed this with Tom Kuebler and subsequently Tom made a trip to Kewanna to meet Wade Bussert, Russell’s close friend, and to see Wade’s collection of Russell’s work and biographical archive.  The connection to Wade Bussert was accomplished previous to this during a visit that Tom and Steve had made to the Midwest Museum of American Art in Elkhart, Indiana.  Brian Byrn, the museum’s curator was aware of the Russell estate and suggested Tom connect with Wade.

Sometime later Steve and Tom visited Kewanna to view Wade’s material which Steve later outlined to Rachel Perry and Chris Krok, one of the people involved the the Indiana State Museum Foundation. This resulted in a third trip to Kewanna by Rachel, Steve and Tom.

Tom Kuebler archived and went through the materials regarding Russell’s estate that he received from its executor and Wade Bussert including many photographs, slides and additional material.  At this point Tom wrote a monograph, which was presented to the Indiana State Museum that contained a brief history of James Russell and photographs of a selection of his art.

The “exhibit process” at the Indiana State Museum involves presentations to two different committees of peers - an “Exhibit Focus Committee” and the “Leadership Team.”  The committees evaluate the feasibility of the exhibition proposal by examining such things as audience, funding, available space, cost of insurance, etc.

Thanks to Rachel Perry’s continued efforts at the Indiana State Museum and the accomplishments of Steve Conant and Tom Kuebler the exhibition has become a reality.

There is a ton of work to be done.  Additional historical materials have been gathered and are being processed.  The next step is to, through historical documentation, reconstitute the incredible life of Indiana artist, James Russell.

By James Spencer Russell

Thanks to Steve Conant for providing a big portion of the information contained in this post.

And, thanks to Rachel Perry for additional details.

"Photographs That Changed Me" - #2

Redding Woods, Connecticut, 1968, Paul Caponigro

This is part 2 of a series of posts about a selection of photographs that influenced my perspective of photography, or simply inspired me.

Over the years in several locales I've had the opportunity to see and examine many of Paul Caponigro's prints. Over the years I've studied his work via books and because of his book, Seasons: Photographs and Essays, I was inspired to do work with Polaroid materials .

Sometime in the mid 1980's at Photography West Gallery in Carmel, California, I first viewed Paul Caponigro's photograph, Redding Woods, Connecticut, 1968. From across the room it drew me in to explore the depths and spirit of the composition all enveloped in a quality of light that was exhilarating.

This photograph opened my mind to more closely seeing and appreciating nature's abstractions within my environment.

The spiritual essence contained in Paul Caponigro's work always enlivens me and artistically reassures me.

Links to other posts in this series:
#1

First Phase Complete - Truth From Perceptions and Changes Coming

As of this evening I have completed the first phase of Truth From Perceptions. There are about 135 photographs from which to cull the exhibit. I have made over 500 negatives during the last nine months. Now the editing begins. In some cases I will be presenting differing perspectives and "contact prints" that will show the process by which I came to the final image.

The work continues as I am exploring the use of Polaroid cameras to make photographs. Some of this work will be shown as well. I will continue to blog about the making of photographs up until, during and even after the exhibit.

This project has caused my thinking about my photography to be more focused and I foresee big changes coming. Final decisions and discussion about these changes will come after the exhibit.

New Blog Post - 2 Photographers Works In Progress

Please head over to the 2 Photographers Works In Progress blog for a new post about my "Truth From Perceptions" project.

The Marshmellow Tugboat

I'm departing from my regular posting regimen of art to post about something that I think is pretty neat. Click on the photographs to enlarge.

On a recent Saturday my wife Julie and I were hitting garage and rummage sales and as usual I was digging for records. I came across a 45 by The Marshmellow Tugboat - Michelle, Be My Girl b/w Please Don't Go, on the Blue Coral Productions label. This looked like it could be a real nice find.

After we got home I hit the omnipotent internet to find out about The Marshmellow Tugboat and the record. I couldn't find anything, not one thing. This was pretty rare. I typically have no trouble finding scads of information about almost any record that I look into. Julie had the idea to try to find the songwriter, Eddie Sandas. After some googling she found a lead. So I sent an email to an Eddie Sandas and sure enough he was the songwriter from The Marshmellow Tugboat! He is still in the entertainment business representing artists and various venues.

Being a record/music freak and not a music writer it is difficult to put into words what I think, but I'll give it a try.

Recorded in The Summer of Love, 1967 this record, to me, is a 100% classic. This record and band epitomizes what was happening in that incredible era, the golden era of Rock and Roll. Rock bands were popping up in garages and recording in studios all over the USA. There was so much great music happening that there was no way that every worthy band was ever going to get discovered and make it big. But that in no way takes away from the talent and ability that so many of these amazing regional and local bands had. The Marshmellow Tugboat is the perfect example of this historical phenomenon. Michelle, Be My Girl has all the great elements of a hit record. I like this record so much that I will be contacting Sundazed about this blog post and I hope that they give the record a listen. They've reissued some incredible "unknown" bands' records, so who knows…

Michelle, Be My Girl is an upbeat, straight-ahead rocking pop love song. The horns set the stage and the vocals kick right in with a Wall of Sound thing happening, but the mix is detailed enough to hear the separate instruments. The piano detail adds a cool little flourish and the drumming is dead on, always keeping a solid beat and adding in runs where they fit. The bass holds everything together with a sturdy melodic beat.  The lead vocal fits into the mix and the surrounding harmonies are sophisticated yet simple and somewhat Beatlesque. I love the high "oooooooooohhhh" that finishes off the two breaks and the ad lib scatting right before the trumpet solo. The trumpet somehow reminds me of Penny Lane.  I'm not saying that Michelle (another Beatles reference?), Be My Girl is a Beatles derivative. That is definitely not the case. The lyrics, music and way cool production are their own thing and the song has it's own unique character.

Please Don't Go kicks off with a drum and horn intro and then gets right to the point. This is a classic slow-dance love song melody where the guy is pleading for his girl to stay with him. The drumming is rock solid; the transitions into and out of the piano and horn(s) solos are quite nice. The bass again holds down the beat in a bit of a counter point to the drumming. Again the production on this song is way cool.  All of the instruments meld together to make the perfect accompaniment to the lead vocal. I love the piano and horn(s) solos and how the horns lead back to the lead vocal. And the guitar arpeggios, again way cool. For a group of young men, The Marshmellow Tugboat really had it going on.

Via email Eddie Sandas sent along some great information about the band and the record, including a scan of a poster! (He is the young man on the right in the striped shirt.) I thought it would be best to post his words rather than do a rewrite so you could hear directly from the group's songwriter. Here is the email:

1) The band was formed in 1966 and based out of Merrill Wis. 4 guys (originally lead, rhythm, bass and drums) with 3 lead singers. Guitar player doubled on trumpet and the bass player and myself doubled on Tenor and Alto sax. The first member change was in 1967 when one of the guitar players was drafting for Vietnam. At that time I switched from drums to keys and we got a new drummer. Over the next 4 years several other member changes were made until the group broke up around 1969-70.

2) The session that you have was recorded in 1967 at the Kennedy studios in Milwaukee. At the time the group was called the Poor Boys but by the time the record was released the band's name was changed to Marshmellow Tugboat. We did one more session in 1969 at a studio in Valparaiso Fla. which was owed by Shelby Singleton of Harper Valley PTA fame.

3) I always thought this was pretty cool for a 16 year old, I wrote the horn parts in the van on the way to the session which were all performed by the guys in the band. The horns parts were never played or rehearsed until we got to the studio that day.

4) Blue Coral Production was just a name that I made up for the label. We only cut 500 records which were mainly sold in a 50 mile radius of Merrill. I find it very interesting that you found a copy in Indy. Someone from Merrill must have moved!

Wausau, Wis bringing together numerous old bands from the 60's over a 2 day period. We performed with all but one of the original members and it was a hoot! We actually ended up sounding pretty darn good.

A couple of days after I had traded emails with Eddie I got this note from Bruce Kanitz (he is second from the left on the poster):

My name is Bruce Kanitz and I am(was) the drummer for the Marshmellow Tugboat and did the lead vocals on Please Don't Go and harmony on Michelle Be My Girl. I had a discussion with Eddie yesterday about your emails and what you are doing.  I think this is awesome and very interesting. Eddie did send me a copy of your emails and I opened an account with Soundcloud, clicked on your link and enjoyed every minute of our recording. I do have a copy of our 45 on my jukebox and selectively play it for family, friends, etc. Those were definitely some of the best times of my life playing with that group. After that group I continued playing with various groups for approximately 15 more years and still have my drums just in case.

It is excellent that Eddie and Bruce took the time to write up share this information. Big and huge thanks to them.  This has been great, great fun.

P.S. I'd love to hear the music from the session in Florida!

Click here to listen to Michelle, Be My Girl b/w Please Don't Go by The Marshmellow Tugboat.

Photographs From Kewanna Visit

Kewanna, Indiana

(Click on the photographs to enlarge)

2 Photographers Works In Progress

Please head over to the 2 Photographers Works In Progress blog for a new post about my "Truth From Perceptions" project.

Kewanna Visit August 31, 2011

Here is a short video by Satch from our recent visit to Kewanna as referenced in the post regarding the James Russell retrospective exhibition.  The video is made in Diane Tesler's studio.  (Of course Satch had to be a little different and make a vertical video; I like it.)

"Photographs That Changed Me" - #1

Ansel Adams, Monolith, The Face of Half Dome, 1927

It seems like every day we are inundated with the best of this, the best of that, vote for the best, photographs that changed the world, the list of the best whatever, etc., etc., etc., ...etc. (in my best Yul Brynner voice).

I've grown weary of this ranking thing.  Let's face it, it is nothing more than a crutch for many that are not interested in seeking out interesting material for themselves.  But it gave me an idea for a series of blog posts ("Photographs That Changed Me"), so I thought why not join the fray.

In no particular chronological order nor importance, I'm going to make a series of posts about a selection of photographs that influenced my perspective of photography, or simply inspired me. That being said, I am going to start at the very beginning.

Many of us that photograph were influenced by Ansel Adams.  I mean, how could we have not?  For years his images and books were everywhere and his persona was larger than life.  The first photograph of Adams' that moved me was, "Monolith, The Face of Half Dome, 1927."

This was Adams' first photograph where he utilized "visualization."  He was only 25 years old when this glass plate negative was exposed; the zone system was in the future.  In his mind's eye Adams saw this scene as a"brooding form, with deep shadows and a distant sharp white peak against a dark sky."  Utilizing a red filter he was able to put onto the negative, and subsequently onto the print, what he had visualized.

I first saw a print of"Monolith" in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1986.  Studying the history of this photograph opened my mind to the possibilities of visualization and further down the road to the Zone System.  Having this knowledge, and subsequently learning and applying the associated craft, has been paramount to my ability to make photographs, even when using plastic cameras.

Links to other posts in this series:

#2

Style, Elegance and Wit: The Artwork of James Spencer Russell

Updated September 5, 2011

The Indiana State Museum will be hosting a posthumous retrospective exhibition of the artist James Russell. Who, you might ask? Exactly.

The exhibition is entitled, "Style, Elegance and Wit:  The Artwork of James Spencer Russell" (January 26 - July 14, 2014).  To the left is a photograph of these words written in Russell's hand. He believed art had to contain those three elements.

Russell, an Indiana born contemporary artist, led an incredible life that is virtually unknown except to a few collectors. Satch is one of those collectors. Russell made art for himself and never sought the spotlight. Yet Russell was unbelievably prolific. He exhibited in the finest galleries in NYC from the late 1950's until late in his life.

Realizing that Russell's work was of importance this small group of collectors felt that a museum show of his work should happen.

Recently we had Steve Conant and Tom Kuebler, two collectors of Russell's work, along with Rachel Perry, Chief Curator, Arts and Culture and Susannah Koerber, V.P. Arts and Culture both of the Indiana State Museum, to our house to view Satch's collection of Russell. Shortly, after that afternoon we were informed that there indeed would be an exhibition!

Earlier this week Satch and I, along with Tom, Rachel and Susannah headed up to Kewanna, to meet with Russell's good friend Wade Bussert and to view a portion of Russell's personal archive - what an incredible experience.

It is so exciting to see a contemporary Hoosier artist get proper recognition.

There is so much to be told about Russell's life that I can only begin to scratch the surface in this note. I plan to blog about the exhibit adding information as more is revealed and learned. It will be exciting to see how all of this progresses. Now that we have an exhibition, the hard work has just begun.

On a purely personal note, it is great that I can finally share this information as we've needed to keep all of this process quiet for the past five years!

And on another purely personal note - I need to recognize Craig Smith, owner of Craig Smith Gallery, who represents Satch. Craig curated a fine exhibition, Text as Art at the Krasl Art Center in St. Joseph, Michigan in the Fall of 2008. Craig recognized that Russell's work was exceptional and chose three pieces from Satch's collection to be included in the exhibition.

2 Photographers Works In Progress

Please head over to the 2 Photographers Works In Progress blog for a new post about my "Truth From Perceptions" project.

Truth From Perceptions

The project that I am working on that is a part of 2 Photographers Works In Progress started sometime around February of this year.  It's genesis came at me from two directions.

First - one day I read this poem that really knocked me out:

Societal Instincts
Edward Henry Satchwill III

To separate truth from perceptions
Is to remove all its coherency
Yes, absolute truths do exist in man
But their comprehension is beyond us.
Happiness, envy, love disgust and hate,
All ideals which are never to be matched,
And for this reason, clichés are needed:
"Love is exactly what you think it is.
If you don't know what you think, then you are
Lucky, for you can find love anywhere."
Such are the I.V. drips that keep us here,
Below enlightened, but above insane.
Not reaching full potential, but also
Not falling to our deepest depths of life.
So, in this way, do we oppress ourselves?
Or engage in paternalistic aid?
The fallacy of minds trumping the mind
Seems understood by none but you and I,
The weight of all mankind now upon us.

© 2011 Edward Henry Satchwill III
(reprinted with permission)

The concept of separating truth from perceptions and the poem's examination of the human condition continued to bounce around in my mind.  Many times in today's world truth is ignored and calculated perceptions are melded into one mass marketing scheme; yet in reality we all must end up dealing with truth rather than the perceptions that we are bombarded with every day.  These notions led me back to thinking about and revisiting particular photographers works that are important to me - Minor White, Alfred Stieglitz (especially his Equivalents), Harry Callahan and Aaron Siskind.

Second - very shortly thereafter I met Matt Lafary and Angi Skaggs in Fountain Square.  After getting to know them it became very apparent that they had a passionate affinity for film photography.  Their knowledge and love of cameras was impressive.  This rekindled a notion that I should take a look back at some of my cameras.

Thanks to Satch, I have used rudimentary plastic cameras (Holga and Diana+) for the last several years.  I had completely let go of the science and process of photography and embraced seeing and perceiving my environment.  But now I felt that the time was right to explore the possibility of using a more precise camera again, for a specific project.

I started to put all of these things together and got the idea to do an ongoing project. Conceptually, the poem would be the inspiration to see and perceive. Off of the shelf, I pulled an old Leica SL2 (35 mm), that had an excellent wide angle lens.  This would be the project's tool.  Using a hand held cameral was important.  Wanting to be mobile and photograph at will, I did not want to be saddled with a tripod.  I ran a quick test roll to see if the camera was in working order and realized that I would need better metering, so against my better judgement, out came the spot meter - a light meter that measures the reflectivity of a tiny spot within a scene.  Employing no metering or through the lens focusing since using the plastic cameras, all of this kind of jolted me a little bit.

So, out of all of this the project "Truth From Perceptions" was born.  One of the first photographs that I made came from the wall of Satch's studio.  It seemed like an appropriate starting point.

Untitled

Polaroid 420

(click on photo to enlarge)

The day that I met Angi Skaggs and Matt Lafary at Square Rootz Deli in Fountain Square, Matt had a little Polaroid 100 camera that uses pack film.  I guess I just don't keep up with current offerings from photo companies because I had no idea that Fuji made pack instant film that would work with these fabulous old cameras.

I have been in Polaroid depression since they quit making Type 55 which, for years, was my bread and butter film for my Speed Graphic.  So I was pretty stoked to find out about what I had been missing.

With help and advice from Angi and Matt I began looking for a Polaroid camera that would work with the Fuji pack instant film.  I figured I could run across something when out looking for materials for Satch's art.  I did find a few for decent prices but the condition was not to great and their shutters didn't seem to work well at all.

After another conference with Angi and Matt I was informed that these cameras have an unusual battery that makes the shutter perform correctly and that the batteries could be purchased online.  Aha!

So, again I began searching and came up with nothing even after visiting what seemed like hundreds of places looking for Satch stuff.

One morning while, at the behest of Satch, we were cruising the rural countryside for yard sales, on the fringes of being in the "sticks," I found it - a Polaroid 420, brand new in its case - there were even some flash cubes!  After procuring the required battery it was time for a test to see if the 420 could do its thing.  Having a couple of original packs of Polaroid film was also a bonus, so we loaded one pack and made a test photograph in our little garden.  Voila!  Success! - with big thanks to Angi and Matt.

Afterwords as I looked at the test photograph it occurred to me that the test photo looked exactly like an old Polaroid photograph that my Grandmother may have taken of my Grandparent's (Ralph and Edith Kern) garden.

I look forward to seeing where this new camera takes my photography.

Question

Have "we" been good stewards of photographic art? 

I think not.  The proliferation of the digital imaging, easy manipulation and social networking has taken photography down a path that I am not fond of.

New Photograph

It has been a while since I posted a new photograph.  This is from the new series Truth From Perceptions.